On vehicle roadways, particularly in areas where roadways are covered with snow for a part of the year, a continuing problem is the damage and destruction of highway signs and delineators situated at the side of the road for the guidance and warning of passing motorists. Of necessity such signs and delineators must be in close proximity to the roadway so that they can be readily observed by passing motorists. Because of their proximity to the edge of the road they are subject to damage by weed mowers and snowplows and occasionally by automobiles. In the winter months when the roadways and adjacent areas are covered with snow it is quite easy for snowplow operators to accidentally damage or ruin signs at the side of the road. They must remove enough snow to uncover the roadway and in doing so in deep snow they are likely to remove snow from too wide a path and run into the roadside marker. Mowers also do accidental damage frequently.
A number of attempts have been made by workers in the prior art to find solutions to this problem and solutions have been advanced. They invariably take the form of a flexible post which by some means can be pushed over and after being passed over by the snowplow spring back up to its original position. However, none of these ideas has been widely adopted because the devices are almost as susceptible to injury as the original posts. Although they theoretically have resilient properties and can spring back to their original position after having been knocked over, in practice the snowplow can completely uproot such posts or sever them or otherwise irreparable damage them.
Moreover, there is a need for delaying the return of the sign to its original position to prevent its scraping and thereby damaging the sides of the vehicles involved.
The problem has been around for a good many years and because of the expense of procuring, installing and replacing roadway markers, the problem is very much in need of solving and a solution has long been desired.
Having worked for many years in the Highway Section of a State Department of Transportation I have heard various maintenance supervisors complain about the heavy expense of replacing roadway signs and markers destroyed by snowplows during the preceding winter without, however, proposing a solution. I have, along with many others, observed the need for a solution to this problem, but it was not until after my retirement that a solution occurred to me.